III 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 85 

Honoring and congratulating the Minnesota National Guard, on its 150th 

anniversary, for its spirit of dedication and service to the State of 

Minnesota and the Nation and recognizing that the role of the National 

Guard, the Nation’s citizen-soldier based militia, which was formed before 

the United States Army, has been and still is extremely important to 

the security and freedom of the Nation. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 4, 2006 

Mr. COLEMAN (for himself and Mr. DAYTON) submitted the following 

concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Honoring and congratulating the Minnesota National Guard, 

on its 150th anniversary, for its spirit of dedication 

and service to the State of Minnesota and the Nation 

and recognizing that the role of the National Guard, 

the Nation’s citizen-soldier based militia, which was 

formed before the United States Army, has been and 

still is extremely important to the security and freedom 

of the Nation. 

Whereas the Minnesota National Guard traces its origins to 

the formation of the Pioneer Guard in the Minnesota territory in 1856, 2 years before Minnesota became the 

32nd State in the Union; 


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Whereas the First Minnesota Infantry regiment was among 

the first militia regiments in the Nation to respond to 

President Lincoln’s call for troops in April 1861 when it 

volunteered for 3 years of service during the Civil War; 

Whereas during the Civil War the First Minnesota Infantry 

regiment saw battle at Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg; 

Whereas during a critical moment in the Battle of Gettysburg 

on July 3, 1863, 262 soldiers of the First Minnesota Infantry, along with other Union forces, bravely charged 

and stopped Confederate troops attacking the center of 

the Union position on Cemetery Ridge; 

Whereas only 47 men answered the roll after this valiant 

charge, earning the First Minnesota Infantry the highest 

casualty rate of any unit in the Civil War; 

Whereas the Minnesota National Guard was the first to volunteer for service in the Philippines and Cuba during the 

Spanish-American War of 1898, with enough men to 

form 3 regiments; 

Whereas 1 of the 3 Minnesota regiments to report for duty 

in the War with Spain, the 13th Volunteer regiment, 

under the command of Major General Arthur MacArthur, 

saw among the heaviest fighting of the war in the battle 

of Manila and suffered more casualties than all other 

regiments combined during that key confrontation to free 

the Philippines; 

Whereas after the cross-border raids of Pancho Villa and the 

attempted instigation of a war between the United States 

and Mexico, the border was secured in part by the Minnesota National Guard; 


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Whereas the Minnesota National Guard was mobilized for 

duty in World War I, where many Minnesotans saw duty 

in France, including the 151st Field Artillery, which saw 

duty as part of the famed 42nd ‘‘Rainbow’’ Division; 

Whereas the first Air National Guard unit in the Nation was 

the 109th Observation Squadron of the Minnesota National Guard, which passed its muster inspection on January 17, 1921; 

Whereas a tank company of the Minnesota National Guard 

from Brainerd, Minnesota, was shipped to the Philippines 

in 1941 to shore up American defenses against Japan as 

World War II neared; 

Whereas these men from Brainerd fought hard and bravely 

as American forces were pushed into the Bataan Peninsula and ultimately endured the Bataan Death March; 

Whereas men of the Minnesota National Guard’s 175th Field 

Artillery, as part of the 34th ‘‘Red Bull’’ Division, became the first American Division to be deployed to Europe in January of 1942; 

Whereas when the 34th Division was shipped to North Africa, it fired the first American shells against the Nazi 

forces; 

Whereas the 34th Division participated in 6 major Army 

campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, which led to 

the division being credited with taking the most enemydefended hills of any division in the European Theater as 

well as having more combat days than any other division 

in Europe; 

Whereas the Minnesota National Guard served with distinction on the ground and in the air during Operations 

Desert Shield and Desert Storm; 


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Whereas Minnesota National Guard troops have helped keep 

the peace in the former Yugoslavia, including 1,100 

troops who have seen service in Bosnia, Croatia, and 

Kosovo; 

Whereas the Minnesota National Guard has participated in 

keeping America safe after September 11, 2001, in numerous ways, including airport security; 

Whereas the Duluth-based 148th Fighter Wing’s F–16s flew 

patrols over cities after September 11, 2001, for a longer 

time than any other air defense unit; 

Whereas over 11,000 members of the Minnesota National 

Guard have been called up for full-time service since the 

September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; 

Whereas as of March 20, 2006, Minnesota National Guard 

troops are serving in national defense missions in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Iraq; 

Whereas more than 600 Minnesota National Guard troops 

have been deployed to Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom; 

Whereas members of the Minnesota National Guard, serving 

in the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Infantry 

Division, have been a part of the State’s largest troop deployment since World War II, with more than 2,600 citizen soldiers called to service in support of Operation 

Iraqi Freedom; 

Whereas the Minnesota National Guard has greatly contributed not only to battles but to the suppressing of violent 

riots, such as the 1947 national meat processors strike, 

in which they aided helpless police officers, and the fight 

against natural disasters such as the Red River flood in 

1997 in which they organized search and rescue missions, 


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helped shelter people who were left homeless, ran logistics, and helped sandbagging efforts; and 

Whereas on April 17, 2006, the Minnesota National Guard 

will celebrate its 150th anniversary along with its historical and recent accomplishments: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) honors and congratulates the Minnesota 

4 National Guard for its spirit of dedication and serv5 ice to the State of Minnesota and to the Nation on 

6 its 150th anniversary; and 

7 (2) recognizes that the role of the National 

8 Guard, the Nation’s citizen-soldier based militia, 

9 which was formed before the United States Army, 

10 has been and still is extremely important to the se11 curity and freedom of the Nation. 

Æ 


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